It is with profound sorrow that we share the news of the passing of one of the longest-serving members of St John Zimbabwe, Sister Dominica Siegel on the evening of Sunday 23 July, at 7.45 pm. She leaves behind her sister, Resi, and her beloved nephew, Lawrence.
Sister Dominica started working with St John Zimbabwe in 1999. Due to her passion for promoting education and supporting rural schools, she left the Ministry and started Catoruzi, a programme that facilitated the recruitment of 300 qualified Christian Secondary School Teachers from overseas to offer Science, Mathematics, English, and French in rural schools.
On April 4, 2005, the late Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II sanctioned Sister Dominica’s admission as a serving sister in the Order of St John, and in 2007, she started the programme for training HBC (home-based care) for leaders of child-headed households. More than 15,000 youngsters were trained and helped more than 50,000 beneficiaries.
Through the programme, many schoolteachers were trained in First Aid and HBC and would in turn train schoolchildren in school clubs. These youngsters went on to be very helpful in schools, at home, and within their communities.
As a thank you to Sister Dominica, a block of classrooms was built in her name at the Harare Centre. The classrooms were officially opened on June 15, 2017.
Sister Dominica celebrated her 90th birthday on March 20, 2023. May she rest and rise in glory.
